Demi Darkness
by Claire C. Griffon
Summary: When a girl contacts Dresden for protection, he gets much more than he bargined for. Now, he's got a Demivampire on the run from the Red Court, the White Council and a missing cop that's going to die unless he hands over the Demi.
1. Chapter 1

Title- Demi Darkness

Author- Claire C. Griffon

Disclaimer- Jim Butcher owns The Dresden Files. I can only claim Wisteria and Wagner for my own.

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CHAPTER ONE

She was young, seventeen tops, if I was a good judge of age.So, maybe not all that young, but she was by my standards. At that age, she shouldn't have had that much power. Hell, at that age, she shouldn't have had any. Yet, here she was, holding me in a figure of High Magic.

I strugled against it one last time even though I knew it was useless. "Are you satisfied with the circle, Mr. Dresden?" she asked.

Let's see... I had been coerced into coming here because she knew my name. I'm currently a prisinor in a figure of High Magic. What was I forgetting now? Right. The girl had me, Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, wizard, under her control. However, I showed admirable constraint and didn't mention any of this. Instead, I sat down, duster pooled around me. At least the circle was big enough to be comfortable. I crossed my arms and glared at her without meeting her eyes. I had no wish to soulgaze with a person I had never met but still somehow knew my full name.

"Mr Dresden." she sighed, "I apologize for this. I knew of no other way to reach you though."

"I have an office. I have a phone. I'm in the phone book," I told her dryly.

"I couldn't risk anyone finding out about this meeting," she explained. Her voice was pleading, asking for help. Dammit. Now I was going to get this urge to help her just because of my outdated ideals.

"Don't you think that might be a little difficult? You coerced me into coming here and broke the Fourth Law of Magic in doing so. The While Council--" I shut my mouth before I coul dig myself into an even deeper hole. I had just told a possibly rouge magic user about the White Council. I sighed. Things were not looking good.

"Don't worry about them, Mr. Dresden. This room is well warded and shielded. They will have no idea of what is occuring in it." Her voice was calm, matter-of-fact. It reminded me a bit of Murphy, actually. Things were looking worse. "Look, if we both give eachother our word that we won't harm the other or suddenly disappear, I'll release the circle. Agreed?"

"I agree. You?"

"I swear by the moon, sun and stars that I will not harm you in any fashion." Her voice was strong as she spoke. Made me wonder what I was getting myslf into. She raised a hand and whispered something. I felt the circle disappear a moment later with a quiet pop. "Happy?"

"A bit, yes."

"Good. Now, will you please help me?"

"Look. I'm really sorry. But...Hell's bells. I don't even know your name!"

She nodded. "You're right. I apologize again. My name is Wisteria Harpiai Broadsword."

I felt sorry for her with a name like that. It was a mouthful, make no mistake. I whispered the name, mimicking its exact nuances. But I felt no magic. "Its' fake," I told her.

"To you, perhaps. But it is the name that magic knows me by. So, for me, it's more true than my given name."

"Which is?"

She paused, as if deciding whether or not to tell be. "I'm Yolanda Centura Bloom."

This time, when I whispered it, I felt the stirrings of magic within. She was telling the truth. And the name was still a mouthful. "Alright then." I stood. "What is it you need?"

"Protection, Mr. Dresden."

Intriegued, I raised an eyebrow. "From?"

"The Red Court," she said. Oh boy. Vampires were involved. Things were getting worse. "And maybe even the White Council." Take that back. Things _were_ worse.

"Ms. Bloom--" I began.

"Please. Either Wisteria or Broadsword. I don't go by my given name much anymore."

Fine. We'll play the game her way for a bit. "Wisteria," I said, simply because I would've felt dumb calling her Ms. Broadsword, not to mention that it would've sounded stupid. "I'm not exactly on good terms with either group at the moment. And if the Council learns that I'm helping a rouge wizard--"

"I'm not a rouge," she interrupted. "Nor am I a wizard. At least, I don't think I am."

Then what the hell are you? Once again, I kept all opinions to myself. And people say I never learn from my mistakes. I heard her say something under her breath, but as to what it was, I had no clue. "Come again?"

"I'm a Demi," she said. She was still quiet, but actually hearable this time. And she sounded as though she was ashamed of what she was. It was quite a contrast from before.

"A Demi what? God? Demon? Angel?"

"Vampire."

I stopped dead, no longer pacing. I have no shame in admitting that it was the beginnings of being frozen in fear. "A what?" I asked, hoping that I had misheard.

"I'm a Demi-vamp, Mr. Dresden."

Answer hadn't changed. And things were rapidly getting worser by the second.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- Jim Butcher owns the Dresden Files. I can only claim Wisteria and Wagner for my own.

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CHAPTER TWO

"Have you taken blood yet?" I asked, thinking of Susan. If she had, she was likely almost a full-fledged vampire from the Nevernever and was dangerous. If she hadn't, then she could at any time and was still dangerous.

"No. Nor can I," she added. "I'm not that type."

"Then what are you?"

"Ever hear of psychic vampires?"

I nodded, thinking of Thomas and the White Court.

She looked surprised, but recovered. "I'm impressed. Few have. Then you know that I feed off of energy." I was about to make a rather impulsive comment when she continued on. "I feed under a strict code of conduct though. I skim extra energy off of the surface of people and only when their auras are big enough for me to see without Sight."

"How often is that then?" I had a feeling that thanks to her code of feeding, it wasn't very often. I was right. "But when you do, you're more powerful."

She nodded. "Right. I then have excess energy I can use. And 'cause I'm not really on the White Council's radar at the moment, I can do what I wish with it. But it's rare that I use it for anything besides living off of it."

"What else do you do?"

She shrugged. "I project it to make me seem less than I am. I use it to heal. Some of it goes towards my own shields and wardings."

"Like in this room?" She nodded, then looked at me hopefully. "Mr. Dresden, please. WIll you help keep me safe until I can find a place to live in safety?"

I should say no, I found myself thinking. I was already in deep with the Red Court and the Council. I really didn't need to give either side reason to despise me more that they already did. I opened my mouth to tell her so and was surprised when, "Yes, I will," came out. Like I said, I blame it on my outdated values. I've always been a sucker for the damsel in distress, even if the damsel is in no need of saving. Call it my soft-spot, if you want. Weak point, whatever. But it's gained me a few allies.

She sighed in relief and I swear she was all of a second away from hugging me when something stopped her. "Thank you, Mr. Dresden. If there's ever anything I can do to repay you, please, let me know."

Not getting me killed would be repayment enough. "Would a promise be too much to ask?"

"Depends on the promise," she retorted.

Hells bells, this girl was good. "No feeding off of me. If I'm going to protect you, I'll need all the energy I can get."

She laughed. It was very musical sounding, like water flowing over rocks in a stream. "I swear by everything I hold dear I waon't," she replied, still laughing slightly.

"Then we have a deal."

Wisteria was all business again. "Let me clear the circle and we can be on our way." She estinguished most of the candles and when she disappeared into the shadows, I cringed for a moment. If she was going to go turn on the lights...As a wizard, electornics and me don't get along. As soon as I enter a room, a light will burn out. Fans will suddenly cease to work. Cars will sputter and die the moment I got near them. Anything made after the 60s hates me. I don't know why. It's supposed to have somehting to do with the amount of magic and energy we wizards are always working with. Much to my relief though, she didn't. Rather, she pushed back the dark with a brightly lit kerosens lamp she had just ignited. As she cleaned up, I observed more fully my newest charge. Short brown hair that just touched her shoulders, green eyes. A braclet was on her left wrist and a ring on her right hand. She had an almost cat like grace about her and fluidly went from one tast to the next. She took off the black vest that had been on over a red shirt and stuffed it into a bag. A silver necklace with a blue stone sat in the hollow of her throat. There was something about it that I couldn't put my finger on. But it was out of the ordinary. She bent at the waist and picked up all the stones which had held me in the circle. She gathered them all up without even bending at the knees. I envied her flexability.

I was silent as she packed up. But eventually, I had to ask, "Why the lamp?" She looked at me like I was crazy. I pointed at the light in her hands.

"Oh this?" she asked, glancing down at it. She shrugged. "Light hurts me eyse. It's part of being Demi. But this is dim enough so that I can see without pain."

"So, no electronics or electricity for light?" I clarified. She nodded and I sighed in relief. To not need to worry about such things was a welcome relief.

Finished, she zipped up the gym bag and looked at me. "Where to, Mr. Dresden?"

I thought about that for a moment. The safest place would be my tiny apartment. But that was my safe haven. And, as formentioned, timy. It had a kitchen with a stove and an icebox that still ran on ice. There there was the bedroom with a bed barely big enough for me, the even smaller bathroom and a corner I ise for my living room. But it was the only place I had besides my office and frankly, it was better protected. "My apartment," I told her before I could change my mind. She nodded at me and I led the way out to my car, the VW bug I lovingly called the Blue Beatle. The Beatle might have been blue at one point. Now, it was a mixture of a green door, a red door, a primer grey hood and other colors that chaged on almost a monthly basis depending on what my cases were like. It wouldn't get me anywhere fast, but it would get me there, which is more than I can say for some cars.

Wisteria eyed it a moment before tossing her stuff in through the door I held open for her. Like I said, I come from an old-school belief regarding women. I'll hold open doors for them, pay for shared meals, give flowers, the whole thing. I have a feeling that it I was ever with a woman and we needed to cross a puddle, I wouldn't hesitate to take my leather duster off and let her walk right on over it.

She got in and I closed the door before getting in myself. The ride was silent, but otherwise uneventful as I drove through the streets of late night Chicago to reach my flat.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- Jim Butcher owns the Dresden Files. I can only claim Wisteria and Wagner for my own. 

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CHAPTER THREE

I lit a few of the candles for light and remade the fire as soon as I was inside of my home. Wisteria put her bags on the side of the couch before looking around. The moment she turned, my large grey tomcat Mister wound his way about her legs. She laughed and reached down to pet him. She didn't have far to go. I maintain that one of his parents must have been a wildcat for him to get to huge. Done with greeting her, Mister shoulderbloked me in greeting as I braced myself against the wall. 

Ritual done, he went over to his food dish and looked at the empty bowl with disdain. I sihed. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll pull out some extra blankets for the bed for you once I've fed Mister." 

"Mr. Dresden, I'll be fine on the couch. I'm a college student; I'm used to it," she told me. 

"College?" I asked, surprised. "What major?" 

She shrugged. "Undecided right now. But I'm leaning towards languages." 

I nodded, thoughtful. "Good choice. Useful if you're going to learn more magic." She looked at me without meeting my eyes. Confusion played across her features as she tried to discern meaning from my words. 

What I had told Wisteria was true though. Magic was done with will. Most wizards used words to use their will. But you can't have any connontations with that words. It's why most of us learn another language, usually one that isn't used in today's world, like Latin, for our own magic. 

I fed Mister and pulled some blankets out from under my bed. I put the majority of them on the bed and brought two out to the couch. Wisteria was wandering about the small plae of mine when I was done with that. "How do you keep this place so clean?" she asked, amazed. 

The Fair Folk, I thought. They make sure everything, right down to the stones of my fireplace, is spotless. The only place I don't allow them is my lab. I have too many thins down there that could be damaged too easily for them to clean in it. But if I ever told anyone of their existence, I'm out cleaners. I don't know why. That's just the way it works. "Work," I replied simply. "Bedroom and bathroom are through there. Go ahead and put your things in there." 

"Mr. Dresden, I told you. I'm quite fine--" 

"And I'm ignoring it," I interrputed, turning my back on her. She sighed, but I heard her walk into the bedroom and close the bathroom door. I waited until I heard the water running and her yelp of protest at the cold water before I returned to my bedroom. 

In the corner there was a Navajo print rug. I pushed it out of the way and went through the trap door there into the sub-basement that served as my lab. It lit a few of the candles with a bit of my will and turned on the kerosene heater I had down there. "Bob. Wake up." 

A skull on my shelf suddenly had glowing orange eyes. "I am up, Harry," he drawled at me. 

"What can you tell me about Psychic Vampires?" 

"Have you run afoul of a member of the White Court?" 

"Why is it that when I ask for information you automatically assume I'm in trouble?" I asked him. 

"Because you generally are," he responded. "So did you?" 

"No, I didn't," I shot back. "It's for a case." He looked at me expectently. "That's all the information you're getting." 

"Fine. Feed off energy. Need energy to live. The end." 

"That's it?" 

"Those are the basics. Everything else is just decoration." 

"What if they were a Demi Psychic Vampire?" I asked him. 

"Bad news. They don't have the control a member of the White Court would have. Why are you needing to know all this?" 

"I told you Bob," I responded as I dug through the mess for protection items, "it's for a case." 

"Mr. Dresden?" Wisteria yelled from upstairs. 

I saw Bob's eyes grow brighter for a moment. "Sounds like a nice case," he told me. "So, you going to sleep with her?" 

"Bob!" 

"Honest question Harry. I mean, how long has it been since you've gotten any?" I glared at him. "Well, no wonder you're so cranky!" 

"Is that everything you can tell me about Demis?" I interrupted before he could go on about my night life, or lack thereof. 

"If you're dealing with a Demi," he told me, suddenly very serious, "be careful. They're unpredictable at best, dangerous at worst. And it all depends on what the other half of them is. If it's mortal, then you're pretty safe. If it's something else..." Bob trailed off, not bothing to finish. He didn't really need to. I extinguished the candles and grabbed the item I had found. "Harry," Bob called after me, "seriously, be careful." 

"Yes, mother," I mumbled just loud enough so he could hear me. 

"And you might want to think about sleeping with that one. She sounds hot." 

"_Bob!_" I yelled at him. There was no answer save laughter that was cut off as I closed the trap door and put the rug back. I found Wisteria in the living room, Mister on her lap. "Here," I said, handing her the charm. 

She took it and looked at it. "It's a charm bracelet," she decided after a moment. 

Very good. Now, can you tell me where such things go? I sighed. "Yes, it is. But every charm is for protection or luck. It's the best I can do without giving you this." I raised my left hand and wiggled the shield bracelet with all of its tiny shield charms hanging off of it. 

She smiled at me as she put it on. "Thank you, Mr. Dresden. I appreciate it." 

Probably no monetary appreciation involved though. I nodded. "You aked for help. who am I to ignore you?" 

She rose and walked over to the door leading to the bedroom. "It's more than some people would do, Mr. Dresden. Especially after they found out what I am." I heard the hurt in her voice and caught a glimpse of it on her face before the door closed on it. 

I had to wonder what could cause that kind of pain when she was still so young. 

I put out the candles and banked the fire so that I wouldn't need to remake it in the morning. Then I laid down on the couch and pulled up the two blankets. Mister jumped up on me a moment later, a ploud, but very comforting heating pad. As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered why the Red Court, possibly the White Council, was after a girl just into college. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- Jim Butcher owns The Dresden Files. I only claim Wisteria and Wagner as my own. 

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CHAPTER FOUR

I awoke to the sound of frying and the smell of bacon. I disentangled myself from the couch and blankets and ran a hand through my hair in an attempt to control it. Then I walked around the corner into the other corner of my apartment to where the kitchen, dining room, study and crisis center was. Like I said, I have a very small apartment. 

Wisteria was at my gas stove, frying up the bacon I had heard and smelt earlier. She was dressed in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants. I was assuming that they were her sleep clothes and that she didn't generally walk about wearing just that. "Hi," she told me brightly. "Hope I didn't wake up up. I made extra, so you can go ahead and grab some if you want." She pointed at a plate on the table full of bacon and pancakes. 

I grunted at her in thanks, not up to full conversations this early in the morning. And her cheerfulness this early in the morning was also agrivating. I sat down and stared at the plate. In other words, I brooded. Hell's bells, but I was glad I was a wizard some days, just so that I could get away with that. Eventually, I took a piece of the cooked pig and chewed on it. It was good. A lot better that I could do. "This is great," I told her. 

"I hope you don't mind. I looked in your icebox and found all the stuff to make pancakes an bacon." 

"No, no. It's fine. It's rare I have time to cook anything substantial. It would've gone to waste otherwise," I siad. 

A knock on my door stopped any furnter conversation. I waited to see if it would go away before I used energy to get up. The knocker didn't stop with the knocking. I sighed and got up. Murphy was standing outside my door. She was dressed in her weekend clothes: a flannel shirt over a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She wasn't here on offical work, which could either be good or bad. "Hi Murph. How are you?" 

She nodded. "Dresden. I need your help." 

"Official or otherwise?" 

"What?" 

"Look, Murph. My rent from last month still isn't paid. I haven't been getting paying cases for a good number of weeks. If it's official, it'll be welcome." 

She sighed and shook her head. Her short blonde hair fell into her eyes for a moment and she pushed it back behind her ears. "Sorry, Dresden. Unofficial at the moment. But if I don't get your help, it could turn official real quick." 

"What do you mean?" 

"SI is being threatened. If we'll stop the investigation on the deaths on Michigan, they won't kill Officer Wagner." 

"Who's they? And who's Wagner?" 

"He's the newest member of SI. And 'they', as far as I can tell, seem to be the Red Court." 

"Stars and stones," I mumbled. "What are you going to do? You can't stop the investigation-" 

"But I won't let Wagner die," she finished. 

"Yeah...um...I really don't know what to say, Murph. Officially, my hands are tied. I can't get involved with something that could make the war bigger. 

"And unofficially?" she questioned. 

She read through the lines. Grand. "I'll see what I can do. Do you have something of Wagner's that I can use to trace him? Hair, blood, anything like that?" 

She nodded. "There's some stuff of his back at CPD. I can pick up something there." 

"Alright. As soon as you come back with it, I'll start my search," I told her. She nodded and walked down my driveway to where her motorcycle was waiting. She put on a black helmet and her Herley roared to life under her experienced hands. Please, no snide comments. 

I closed the door and returned to the kitchen where Wisteria was standing. "Can I help?" she asked. 

"What?" 

"When you go to rescue him...Can I help?" 

"Hell's bells, Wisteria. You asked me to keep you away from the Red Court. I'm not going to bring you right into one of their strongholds!" 

She looked me in the eyes a moment before I averted my eyes. I was still staring at the wall next to me when I heard her speak. "Tomorrow night is Beeltane. I'll have been a Demi for thirteen years. I've been leaping over Beltane fires since I was ten. If I leap over it once more, I'll be free from my vampire side. For good. If you can wait that long, I can help." 

"Not to be looking a gift horse in the mouth here," I began, "but how will you be able to help?" 

She shrugged. "I know some magic. Pituals, mostly. But I'd be a great diversion!" 

My protective side kicked in. "No! I'm not going to use you like that!" 

"What if you didn't have a choice?" 

"Than I would figure out something else. The answer is stil no." 

She sighed heavily, but let it go. I was glad. She joined me at the table for the remaining breakfast a moment later. But the pleasent ness that had surrounded the meal before was gone. I couldn't put up with it for long. I rose, taking my plate and stacked it in the sink with the rest of the dishes I hadn't found time to clean yet. "I'll be in the bedroom if you need me," I told her. She didn't look up from her meal, only nodding to show that she had heard me. 

In all honesty, I hadn't expected much of a response. But her quiet dismissal had hurt me and I didn't know why. It bothered me that I didn't know. 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- The Dresden Files is the property of Jim Butcher.

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Chapter Five

No matter what anyone says about how nice they are, cold showers aren;t. But after living without a hot water heater-- I had taken it out when I had moved in so it wouldn't explode on me in the middle of the shower-- for a long while, I was used to them. But being used to something doesn't mean you have to enjoy them.

I was finishing up when I heard Wisteria yell "Mr. Dresden!" from the kitchen. I shut off the water, pulled on my pants and slid a t-shirt on over my head as I exited my room to see what was needed. 

What it ended up being was that Murphy was back at my door. I vaguly wondered how I hadn't heard her arrive while I followed her out to her bike. "Who's the girl?" she asked. 

"Client." 

She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow in question. "And she's staying with you?" 

I shrugged. "She asked for protection, Murph. You know how I am when that happens." 

"How old is she?" she asked me while searching through the saddle bags. 

"College age. So," I took a shot in the dark, "early twenties?" 

She nodded. "You sleeping with her?" 

I threw up my hands. "Why is that everyone's first instinct?" I saw she was smiling. "Hey, I'm supposed to be the wiseass here." 

"Right. I'm just the cop." 

"Damn right." She pulled out something wrapped in a paper napkin. 

"What you got?" 

"His shield. Wagner doesn't take it off unless he's going home. From what you've told me about magic, something that' that far connected to him will work better," she told me. I nodded. "Just get it back to me as soon as you can. No one knows he's missing yet. I managed to get it marked down as vacation time, and I really don't want to cause a panic." 

"Especially not when the panicees have weapons and handcuffs." 

She smiled and nodded. Then she was gone again. I made my way back into my home and unwrapped the shield at the table. Before I could do a full exam of it though, Wisteria approached me. With a white envelope in her hand. "This came through the door while you were outside." 

I took it and looked at it. I felt no traps or anything in it, so, by all appearances, it was safe. THen again, so was my home and a frog demon had managed to find its way in a few years ago. Cautiously, I opened it and pulled out a letter written with what looked like-- I kid you not-- a quill. 

_Wizard- we know the woman has asked you for help. Our deal is now with you. You have in your posession a Demi. Bring it to us and the cop and you go free._

Oh yes. Nothing like threats to make my day start off right. 

There was no signature. There was no need for one. I knew it was from the Red Court. It stayed loosly in my hand a moment before Wisteria took it and read it to herself. 

She closed her eyes and put it down. Turning, she started to walk towards the bedroom. "Where are you going?" 

"There's an address on the back. If we're going to do this, I need to get ready and study the appropiate ediquitte." 

There was such a thing as vampire ediquitte? 

I rose sharply. "Haven't we already _had_ this talk? I'm not putting you in that kind of danger." 

"And you don't have a choice," she spat at me. "Not if you want to save the cop." She slammed the door and I sunk to the chair again. I didn't want her in this. It wasn't her fight. Last time I had see someone come along with me who didn't belong in the fight was with Susan. And that...that hadn't ended well. But at the smae time, she was right. There was no choice for me to make, not if I wanted to do the right thing. 

I looked at the address. It was for a place near some warehouses outside of the city. Out in the middle of nowhere. The tagline for the movie Alien came back to me. "In space, no one can hear you scream." Except this time around, it was more like, "In Chicago, no one cares if you scream." I wanted to add in an "except for SI and me," but that would've ruined its flow. 

The Demi-vamp took the rest of the day to prepare. I assumed she was readying her magic as well, because no woman, not even Susan, could've taken over twelve hours to get ready. I used the time I had wisely: I read a paperback that had been lying about my home and started doing the dished. Oh, and I made sure that my staff and balsting rod were ready to go. 

It was close to sundown when she finally opened my door again. What I saw made my jaw drop. 

Her brown hair was up off her neck, only a few pieces still hanging down. The up-do bared her ears and I saw two ear cuffs -- one with a chair attatched to a stud and a matching stud in the other ear-- and celtic knots hanging from the bottom-most hole. 

Her shirt was sleeveless and laced up the front. Black, of course, as were her pants and what looked like a pair of combat boots. Bracers studded with silver adorned both wrists. Her blue stone necklace was still on, orividing the one bit of color to her outfit. The finishing touch was what appeared to be a trench coat made of cottom, but had no sleeves. A trench vest, if you will. 

I eyed her for a moment before motioning at her choice of clothes. "What's all this?" 

"Classic vamp wear." 

"Maybe for the Black Court, but..." I trailed off. 

She rolled her eyes. "Like I'm really going to go to a place filled with vampires wearing my brother's oversized sweatshirt and jeans I need to hold up with a belt." 

I shrugged and smiled. "It would make an impression though." 

An arched eyebrow. "How so, Mr. Dresden?" 

"Could hide a lot more weapons with a sweatshirt than that outfit can." She laughed and I was thankful it was still her musical laught. With the clothing and attitude change, I wasn't sure that I could handle another one from her tonight. 

"Are you ready?" she asked me. 

"Give me about five minutes and I will be," I said. She nodded and I passed her by into my room. I closed the door and shifter the rug out of the way again so I could do a quick trip into my lab. I saw that Bob was staring at me with his glowing eyes when I was off the ladder. "Teleportaion potions?" I asked him. 

"Green waterbottles. Second shelf down on the left," he responded dryly. "Why haven't you brought the girl down here yet? I'm sure you must have something that could be of interest to her." 

"Just like you'd love to see her." 

"Well, yes. There is that too," he admitted. 

"No, Bob." I grabbed the two bottles of the potion and prayed that they were still usable. I almost made it to the ladder when a moment of inspiration hit me. "If I'm not back in a day, get into Mister and come find me. And nowhere else but me. Then, if I'm in trouble, you rescue me." 

"And if you're not in trouble?" 

I gave him a thin smile. "Then lead Murphy to my body." 


	6. Chapter 6

The Dresden Files is property of Jim Butcher.

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Buildings and me don't have the greatest history. At last count, I've burned down at least three directly. And I'm pretty sure there was one that I was an indirect cause of. I had a feeling that warehouses would also be very susceptible to flames as well. Which was why, as I drove, I made it a personal goal of mine to try very hard to _not_ burn down this one too.

Wisteria sat next to me, eyes closed and toying with her necklace. The charm bracelet I had given her was still her wrist and the sight of it cheered me up slightly. At least she would have some bit of protection tonight.

The warehouse was way outside of town and the Blue Beetle was the only vehicle outside. We were either really early or late enough so that everyone had gotten tired of waiting and had gone home. Hey, a guy can dream, right?

I grabbed my blasting rod and staff from the backseat and climbed out. I tied to rod inside of my duster and gripped the polished wood of the staff with a white-knuckled grip. There would be no way in hell that it would be going anywhere without my permission tonight. Wisteria glanced at the duster. I knew what was coming before she opened her mouth. "Don't you have another coat?"

"What's wrong with this one?"

"It belongs on _The Matrix_," she responded. So, not exactly the answer I had been expecting. But the coat, for all of belonging on the set of El Dorado—or _Matrix_, if that was more your thing—had one thing going for it. As we walked to the door, it caught the wind and danced behind me, looking really cool. The dancing stopped when the doors to the warehouse slammed shut behind us and it became pitch black. "I'm going to make some light," I warned Wisteria in a hiss. I pulled the battered pentacle amulet that had belonged to my mother out from under my shirt and concentrated a bit of my will on it. The silver glowed with a silvery blue light that pushed back the darkness enough so that I could move without the worry of running into something.

Crates and boxes were stacked high. All of my senses were alert, but if anything was there, I couldn't feel it. That just goes to show how crap my senses can sometimes be when I'm not relying on Listening. Lights suddenly flared to life and as the stars cleared from my eyes, I saw that the Red Court surrounded us. I swore quietly and grabbed my staff with both hands. A quick glance at Wisteria showed me that she was still shielding her eyes from the light. It looked like the odds were forty against my one if it came down to a fight. Even with magic on my side, those weren't odds that I liked. Running away was definitely sounding like a great idea. A vampire dressed in a red velvet halter-top, a black mini skirt and knee-high boots stalked into the center of the circle of vampires to where I was. "Is that the Demi?" she asked me in a voice as soft as the velvet she wore.

"Maybe," I responded, trying to sound all mysterious.

She motioned with her hand and a guy dressed in CPD livery with a blindfold over his eyes was brought forward. "Give us the Demi. Then you and the cop go free."

I walked forward, hands in my duster's pockets, holding onto the waterbottles. I knelt down beside Wagner as if I was checking to see if he was all right. "Hey. Murphy sent me," I said. There was no point in trying to whisper. No matter how quiet I was, everyone would be able to hear me.

"What are you doing, wizard?" the vampire demanded to know.

"Making sure he's not a construct," I spat back at her. I grabbed out one of the waterbottles and pulled off the blindfold. "Think of your home. Then drink this," I said.

"What…what is it?" Wagner asked. He struggled to even get that simple sentence out of his mouth.

"Just water," I lied, and hoped that I truly was lying. He nodded and took it, thankful. He drank it all in about the space of five seconds. And then, with a rush of wind, he was gone. I sighed in relief over the fact that the potion had still been usable. Potions have a very short shelf life. And even though I had made these last night, I didn't know if they would still work. The fact that one did reassured me that the other would as well if I needed to exit in a hurry.

"We have kept our end of the bargain, wizard. It is now your turn," the vampire-woman-in-charge declared.

I stepped back to stand by Wisteria. I looked around again, licking my lips. The odds hadn't gotten any better. "You remember what to do?" I asked out of the corner of my mouth. She slowly nodded. So I swallowed my fear and looked straight at the hooker vampire. "You will not take this girl."

As far as plans went, it probably wasn't one of my brightest. But the look on Hooker's face was well worth the bit, okay, well worth the large amount of pain that I was soon going to be in. "Not without an explanation," I added before the Red Court could change and become the stuff of nightmares.

"What?" Hooker asked.

It was so nice not to be the one that was saying that for once. "I made a promise to protect her. On my word as a wizard, I promised to keep her from harm."

"And I will not harm her," she said. "On my honor as a noble of the Red Court, this I promise."

I nodded and lowered my staff slightly. She had promised that she wouldn't harm Wisteria. That was good. The only good thing about dealing with creatures from the realm of spirit—the Nevernever—was that when they gave their word on something, they generally kept it. Of course, Hooker hadn't promised that the rest of the vampires wouldn't hurt my charge, but I'll take what I can get. I looked at Wisteria, an apology on my face. Her nostrils flared and she nodded. Stars and stones, I was impressed. A fake apology was all I could manage with my acting skills. I'm not even a good liar. And there her was Wisteria, managing to look hurt, scared and pissed off, all with only a few motions.

"Why?" she asked Hooker.

Hooker backhanded her across the face and then returned to her previous position. "Silence, Demi. You shall be a tool. No more, no less. You have no other purpose."

I hadn't realized how tight I had held onto my staff until I felt my fingernails break the surface of my skin a bit. Hooker's comment about Wisteria had been cruel and I had to fight myself to keep from attacking them right now or doing something as equally as stupid.

Wisteria stepped forward, head bowed. "I come before you in friendship, to serve you for good or for ill," she began softly. There was more to be said, but Hooker didn't let her finish. Another backhanded slap sent her sprawling across the floor and I lost all control.

If I said that I had planned out perfectly what I was going to do, you would be impressed. However, I would also be lying, and there wouldn't be as many people being impressed by me if they discovered I had lied.

So, rather than plan out my next move, I leapt forward and shouted, "_Ventas servitas_!" A large blast of wind flowed out of my hand to knock back all of the Red Court in its path. Hooker planted her feet and was only pushed back a few feet. I grabbed my blasting rod out of my coat and held it out in front of me. I focused my will upon it, the end beginning to glow. All the spell needed now to be released was a word from me. I stood before Wisteria, daring Hooker to attack. Hooker hissed at me. I rolled my eyes. "Please. My cat is scarier than that."

"Mr. Dresden," Wisteria said from behind me, "I really don't think that antagonizing them would be the best idea right now."

"Well, no one ever accused me of being smart," I responded.

"Mr. Dresden," Hooker hissed out, "I advise you to give us back the Demi."

"No."

A low growl escaped from her throat before she closed her eyes. I saw her swallow and I knew that she was fighting the change. And possibly the urge to kill me. I wasn't quite sure. "You're being difficult, wizard."

"No. I'm being chivalrous," I corrected.

She smiled. "Chivalry…"

"Is dead. Yes, I know."

"Chivalry never existed," she continued.

I felt my face twist in confusion. "I feel hurt. No one ever told me that."

"All we want," Hooker said pointedly, "is the Demi. Give it to us and you can go free."

I looked over my shoulder to see if the Demi in question was upright yet. She was and I put phase two of my non-plan into action. "Get ready to run," I said.

"What?"

"NOW!"

She and I broke out into a dead run towards the doors of the warehouse. Behind me, there was the loud sound of hissing and some less than wholesome sounds of skin squelching. The Red Court had just shifted into nightmare mode. One of them appearing above the door, about to pounce on us, did a lot to assure me my assumption was correct. "New plan," I huffed out.

"What?"

"Split up, meet by the Beetle." With that, I veered off to the left and avoided the rather ugly looking vampire who seemed intent on killing me. I looked over my shoulder to see if I was still being chased. I was. I changed course and ran into an aisle filed with garbage and high shelves on either side. Not exactly the best place to make a final stand. I caught the shadows of movement on the other side of the shelves and stopped where I was. Holding my breath, I crouched down where I was, staff in one hand, rod in the other. The box in front of me wouldn't really do me much good if I was suddenly attacked, but it made me feel better to have it there. I closed my eyes and Listened to find out if anyone was following me. There was. They were trying to be quiet and if it hadn't been for the fact that I was Listening, I never would've heard them.

I tried to slow my breathing and gathered up my will for an attack. As I did, I heard that two more had joined up with the vampire who had been hunting me before. They were just about on top of me when I leapt out, shouting, "_Forzae!_" A burst of unseen energy arced from my staff and to the boxes stacked high upon the shelves on either side of me. My magic brought the crates tumbling down and landed right on the back of the three vampires, knocking them to the ground. I stood, and for just a moment, I wanted to fry them into oblivion with my blasting rod. But my promise to try to not burn down the building came back to me. And the thought of what had happened last time I had went all out with my fire powers. I brought own a few more crates with another shout of "_Forzae_", which landed with a satisfying thump on my enemies.

I turned to run again and came face-to-face with Hooker. "Mr. Dresden," she began, "our fight is not with you."

"Bullshit," I spat out. "We're on opposite sides of a war right now. You expect me to believe that you'll just let me go?" I lashed out with my staff at her feet, but she jumped over it with ease. With a hiss, she threw herself at me, teeth aimed at my neck. I brought my staff up to rest in front of my chest, fighting her back. My back hit the ground and I almost lost grip on my magic stick. I scrambled to get it back and was just in time to prevent my neck gaining some unwanted holes. Some stray part of my brain had the thought that I probably looked like the Crocodile Hunter.

I tried to maneuver my body so that I could get a knee in to push Hooker off of me. I felt something liquid come gushing out of my side and onto the floor. I was more than a bit worried that she had somehow cut through my coat and I was going to begin to bleed to death. And then, in a flash of brilliance, I realized that it was my potion that was soaking the pocket of my leather duster. That was going to be hell to clean. The anger that thought caused me gave me enough of a boost to flip the two of us over. I held Hooker down on the ground, staff across her throat, sitting on her stomach. My mother's pentacle amulet slipped out of my shirt and Hooker hissed as she caught sight to it.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not just crosses that have an effect on driving back vampires. Ant object of faith will do fine as long as you truly believe in it. The pentacle was the sign of magic, and I believed in my magic. If someone believed in their cross, it would also work to drive back a member of any Court. Hell, if you had a spaghetti noodle and truly believe in it, that would work too.

She tried to shield her eyes from the amulet, taking her hands from my shoulders. I took the opportunity to leap backwards, point my blasting rod at her and snarl out, "_Fuego_!" The red hot burst of fire, about as wide as my closed fist, hit her before either of us could think about what I had just done. As she burned and shifted back into a form more resembling a human, I realized I had a small smile on my face. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't wipe it off. Well, maybe I could've, if I had actually tried.

Burning, she went on her knees. "Mr. Dresden. Please, save me."

I lifted my shoe and replaced it a good ways away from her flame licked hand.

"Please!" she begged. It tore at my heart. I knew that she wasn't human. But at that moment, she looked just like your average damsel in distress. "For the sake of chivalry!" she near shouted at me. "I didn't choose this life! They made me halfway, and I had no choice but to submit."

Any and al pity I had for her vanished there. "You could've fought it. Like Susan has," I growled at her. "Plus, I can't"

"What?" she asked, teary eyed.

"According to you, chivelry never existed. So how can I save you for the sake of something that never was?" I turned on my heel and stalked away from her. I was twenty feet away when I stopped and asked, "Why?"

"Because it's Demi," was the reply.

"Why does that matter?"

"It's Demi! The power…"she was cut off by her own scream. I grabbed a blanket off the shelf next to me and tossed it in her direction. "Smother the flames. It should work."

I walked out of the aisle, feeling as though I'd done my part to save her. I had given her a blanket and told her how to save herself. Was it my fault if she couldn't reach the blanket in time? And, if she did somehow manage to survive, I was safe from her. It would take a very long time to recover from those burns.


	7. Chapter 7

The Dresden Files is property of Jim Butcher

* * *

My next goal was to find Wisteria. Thanks to the fact that Hooker had spilt my potion, thereby rendering it useless, I had to get out on my own. And yes, I had told her to meet my by the Beetle. However, I was not going to eave her in danger while I escaped unscathed. My being who I was wouldn't allow it.

Finding her wasn't as difficult as I had thought it would've been. As soon as I stepped out from my row of shelves, I saw that several members of the Red Court were racing towards the other side of the building. A quick glance over the tops of the shelves revealed flashes of light every so often and a quick probe with my magic told me what I had already suspected: the light was a by product of magic. Assuming that the Red Court hadn't suddenly turned into wizards or, more likely, warlocks, the only person that could be causing it was Wisteria.

I made my way to the opposite end of the warehouse, trying to remain in the shadows for as often as I could. There were a few times, when I wasn't as careful as I should have been, that I almost stepped into the light and into the rear end of a vampire.

Upon reaching where Wisteria was, I poked my head around the corner to see what the best course of action was going to be. My jaw dropped to the floor for the second time that night.

Wisteria was beyond holding her own with the vampires. She was kicking their ass. They circled around her, trying to goad her into attacking, into losing her cool. Periodically, one of them would rush her. I caught sight of one doing that just as I got there. She neatly sidestepped him and grabbed onto his arm. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them back up. Unfocused eyes focused on the vampire and I saw him shaking. After a second, eyes focused again and the vampire dropped to the ground as soon as she let go of him. He was still twitching so I knew that he was still alive, technically, undead. A pause, and then she pushed out her right hand. No words were spoken, but the circle around her was forced back a few feet followed by a flash of light. The vampires hid their faces with a small hiss that was amplified ten-fold by the sheer amount of them.

They circled around her once more, pressing in once the light had cleared. Wisteria quickly took it all in and bared her teeth in a very good approximation of their hiss. There was another rush towards her, this time by three. She grabbed two of them, by the third landed on her back and began to choke her. I burst out from behind my cover, shouting, "_Fuego_," at the top of my lungs. The blast of flame hit the one on her back, blowing his off and into a large pile of dry wood. I swore as it ignited and ran over to Wisteria. "We've gotta go!" I said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She turned and our eyes met. The soulgaze began a second later. I felt as though I was falling through blackness towards a place even blacker than what I was in now. A girl dressed in a blue robe held out her hand and grabbed my own. She pulled me out of the abyss onto a small overhang barely big enough for the two of us. I looked at her after catching my breath. She was dressed like a wizard. At least, on her right side she was. Her left was a different story entirely. That side was dressed in the black that Wisteria had been wearing to the meeting that night. Tiny fangs peeked out of the corner of her mouth and her eyes were pools of darkness. Each half had their respective arm holding on the other's now. They were holding each other in check.

The soulgaze finished as quickly as it began. And though it had seemed to last forever, in reality, it had only taken a few seconds. She looked away from me, ashamed. That was when it hit me; I knew why the Red Court wanted her and why the White Council would have interest is her.

She was a Demi-psychic vampire. She could draw energy out of anyone. And her other half was magic user, so she could use that energy to fuel her spells. The Red Court could use her to take away the powers of any Wizard, making it easier to kill us. Meanwhile, the Council could have her eat the energy of the Reds in the same way to achieve the same end. "Hey, look at me," I told her, spinning her around. I met her gaze without fear. Soulgazes could only happen once. "That is a gift. You could do anything!"

"Except have a normal life! I have to continually feed off of others. Otherwise I get sick. I don't want 'anything'. I want a normal life!" she nearly yelled at me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Wisteria, look. The ability to draw energy out of things to fuel spells is something I would love to have. But I don't. I'm stuck running dry at the most inopportune moments. Moments that can lead to myself getting killed. But you don't have to worry. Think of the good you could do!"

"Down!" she yelled before I could go any further. My nose met with the concrete floor as she shoved my down and it started to bleed. Her hand met with another Red Court member who had tried to take advantage of our distraction. I wanted to know exactly how she was doing it. But magic can't truly be seen without a wizard's Sight. Anything a wizard sees with his Sight stays with him forever. And a room full of vampires wasn't really something I wanted to remember clearly.

The vampire went down and she helped me up. "You could start your own PI business," I told her. "A lot of people could be saved by your power." I saw her mull it over in her mind and she grinned up at me. I sagged with relief. Somehow, I had gotten through to he in regards to her powers. It was the same thing Ebenezar had done for me when he had taken me in back when I was a teen.

"We need to get out of here."

I looked around. They were closing in. "I agree."

"Any ideas?"

I had one, but it involved kaboom magic, a lot of energy, and a breaking of my promise to not burn down the building. Oh well. "Have you tried to do fire magic?"

She shook her head.

"Here's a crash course then. Picture fire. Use your magic to bring it forth, the same way you did your light spells. Propel it in a circle around you, aiming for the vampires. Got it?"

Her answer was to turn and focus on the fire that the burning vampire had started before. While she gathered her will, I focused mine on my shield bracelet in case it was going to be needed. She let the spell go with a lot more force than I had expected and I was glad that I had gotten the shield ready. I haistly threw it up at the fires ring made things start flying. When the smoke had cleared enough to see, I pointed to the direction I though the door was in. "Out," I hacked to her.

A nod and we were off. The fire was spreading rapidly around us. The interior had already caught fires and the walls were slowly being licked away by the flames.

I caught sight of the door, already obscured by flames. The few vampires who had managed to survive the attack were just about on us. The proverbial rock and a hard place. I eyes the flames again, determining height and possible width. "Can you jump it?"

She scoffed. "Please. I've been leaping fires since I was ten. That's nothing."

We ran side by side to the flames and the freedom that would be found on the other side. Together, we leapt. She went high enough to easily clear the flames. I, on the other hand, will never be an Olympic high jumper as I barely had enough clearance and only the spells I had woven into my duster kept me from burning into a crisp.

I rolled to a stop less than a yard away from the Beetle. I lifted my head slightly to see if we had made it out alive and then let it drop back down to the pavement when I saw that we had.

Wisteria and I helped each other limp into the car. As I drove away, I looked at the building behind us through the rearview mirror. The orange glow lit up the sky with a very pretty color.

So I had burned down another building. So sue me.


	8. Chapter 8

The Dresden Files is property of Jim Butcher

* * *

I pulled into the gravel lot next to the boarding house that held my apartment in the basement and hour later. I had somehow managed to hit every single red light in all of Chicago, I feat I doubt I will ever be able to repeat. Wisteria was asleep in the passenger seat next to me, looking nothing at all like the person she had been back in the warehouse. I turned off the Beetle and just sat there for a moment so I could take inventory. My back was sore from where it had been pushed against the ground. And my shins and nose were sore from when Wisteria had shoved me to the ground. But aside from that, there were no other injuries. As far as cases went, it was a first.

I reached around my shifter and shook Wisteria awake. "We're back at my place." I paused, then added, "You need help getting in?"

"I'll be fine, Mr. Dresden," she said, unbuckling. She got out of the car fine, but fell to her knees as soon as she reached my sidewalk. "On second thought…"

I understood and carefully picked her up. I supported her as she hobbled towards my door. She leaned on me completely as I opened it and she collapsed on the couch as soon as she was inside.

I sat down on the floor next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Fire," she told me.

"Did it burn you? Are you hurt?" She didn't answer. Lovely. I had to figure out what was wrong with her with only the word 'fire' to go off of. I despise guessing game. There was only one thing that I could do. I closed my eyes and opened my Sight.

The first thing I noticed was how very thick my shields and wards were. That did a lot to reassure me of the safety of my home. I focused my attention on the girl before me.

Like the girl in the soulgaze, she was divided almost evenly in half. The closer I looked though, the easier it was to see that the dark half was being pulled away, leaving nothing but the magic using half of her behind. I looked at the necklace and saw that it glowed with a soft golden color. I was her store for magic energy. Which explained why it had seemed to be other than a necklace to me.

I closed my eyes and stopped my sight. Relaxing, I tried to figure out what could've been causing the Demi half of hers to leave. All she had told me was fire had had something to do with it. Maybe using fire magic had harmed her somehow? It was a really strong spell that she had been using.

Mister came out of my room and leapt up onto the couch, settling on Wisteria's stomach. I couldn't help but laugh a little. There's just something about watching a large cat trying to jump into the air while still trying to have the grace that Wisteria had possessed while she was leaping over the flames. Maybe I should start leaping over fires every May first. With the amount of time I had to escape from burning buildings, it would be useful.

Most of the time, my subconscious and I don't talk. On the rare occasion that we do, it's generally been to give me a gentle push in the right direction. This time, it wasn't a gently push. It was a shove with a cattle prod and a taser onto hot coals. "Idiot!" I muttered. "She leapt over a fire, started by magical means, on _Beltane_!" That was all she needed to lose her Demi half. And I had all but forced it upon her. Right as she was getting comfortable with her powers, I had stripped them away from her. I don't think I've ever wanted to pound my head against the tapestries on my wall more than I wanted to then.

"Mr. Dresden?" she said softly.

"Shh. It's okay. You'll be fine," I told her.

"Don't blame yourself, okay?"

"What?"

"I knew what I was doing when I leapt. I wanted my powers. But I didn't want everyone to come after me because of them." She paused and closed her eyes. "It's not your fault."

Yes, it is, I thought. I could've found another way out. Another way that you wouldn't have lost part of yourself.

She eventually fell asleep there. I tries to stay awake to watch over her that night, But I must have fallen asleep as some point too.

I woke up when the light coming through the windows near the ceiling hit my eyes. I sat up, sore from my night on my hard stone floor and a blanket fell off of me. I looked at the couch to see if Wisteria was still there and my heart just about stopped. She was gone. Mister was still there, as were the blankets I had put on her last night. When I felt them, they were still warm, so she hadn't been gone long. Maybe she had just gone to the bathroom. It was a good thought. Deep down, I knew it was wrong. The fact that her bags were gone also proved that.

I went over to the table and sat down. Then I changed my mind and went over to my icebox to get out a Coke. There, sitting dead center, was a plate full of pancakes. And there was a note on the top. Pulling both out, I returned to my table and sat down with them. Munching on a pancake, I read the note.

The basics of it were that she had left to go discover her magic and that I shouldn't worry or look for her. The last line spoke of how very sorry she was for my past. I assumed she was talking about what she had seen in the soulgaze. Otherwise it wouldn't make much sense.

I turned the paper over and set it on the table. The words "Enjoy the pancakes" were written on it. So I did.


	9. Chapter 9

The Dresden Files is property of Jim Butcher

* * *

About a month, give or take a few days, passed after the morning Wisteria had been gone when I had woken on the floor. Chicago was in the middle of a heat wave and not even the wind off of the lake could bring down the temperature below seventy-five. As such, I had abandoned my duster in favor of an old bomber jacket for when I had to go outside and a coat was needed. The coat mostly stayed at home.

Murphy was waiting for me outside of my office building wen I got back from lunch. "Dresden," she said.

"Hey Murph." I opened the door and held it open. "You want to come in?"

"Nah. Can't. On my way to SI."

"New case?" I asked.

"No. Paperwork."

I cringed. "That's even worse."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "You're telling me."

"So what do you need?"

"Just stopped by to say a late thinks for helping with Wagner last month."

"Not a problem. It was actually a nice change from the cases you usually give me."

"How so?"

"I got out of it without any serous wounds. I'm quite happy over that," I told her.

"Yeah, I bet." She checked her watch. "I gotta go. Stay outta trouble."

"I'll try. Trouble usually finds me though."

"Ain't that the truth. See you, Harry." She walked to her car parked on the side of the road and got in. A quick wave and she was gone. I turned and went inside to the wonderful air-conditioned lobby. I gave a nod to the security guard and was halfway to the stairs when he called after me.

"What?"

"You've got a visitor. I sent them up."

"Thanks," I said tonelessly. Visitor: another word for a person coming to ask if I was serious.

I took the stairs up to my fifth floor office. I didn't trust the elevator. It hadn't run right since a giant scorpion had supposedly gone through the rood of it and the car had gone crashing down to the ground. I still maintain it's an urban legend. I mean, a giant scorpion? Right.

My door was open slightly when I reached it. Which was odd, considering I could've swore that I had locked it. Paranoia being what it is in me, I pushed it open slightly with my foot and looked inside. The only person in there was a girl with blonde hair. I stepped in the rest of the way and asked, " May I help you?"

"Mr. Dresden?"

"Yes," I replied. I had heard the voice before. Now all I had to do was place it. "May I help you?" I repeated. I motioned at one of the chairs reserved for my clients and waited until she was seated before taking my own seat.

"You don't recognize me, do you?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but no. Should I?"

"I guess I should take that as a compliment." And she snapped her fingers and shook her head. The hair turned brown, beginning at the top and going down the blonde color like a waterfall. "How 'bout now?"

"Wisteria?" I asked. She smiled and nodded. "Stars and stones!"

"More people know me as Yolanda now," she told me.

"What are you…how are you doing?"

She shrugged. "Not bad. Magic's easier for me to use now. But I miss my Demi side. I run out of energy too fast."

I laughed. "And what about the necklace. Can't you grab some out of that?" "I tried. But I'm apparently not a wizard, and without my Demi side, I can't pull energy out of anything but me." She didn't look all that sad about it though. In fact, she looked happier that I had ever seen her.

"But you're doing fine?"

"Yeah. New college, new…well, old name and a glamour to change my look. Now no one but you knows who I am. So, thanks for everything."

"I do what I can."

"Could I maybe ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why didn't you leave me in the warehouse when you had the chance?"

"Apparently for something that never existed."

"What?"

"Chivalry demanded it."

"So it's not dead. That's nice to know." She grabbed and envelope out of her pocket and put it on my desk. "Your payment," she said in answer to my unasked question.

"You don't need to…"

"And I'm ignoring it." She stopped by the door on her way out. "Say hi to Mister for me," she said. Then she was gone.

I opened the envelope and found two slips of paper and her blue stone necklace. The first slip was a letter that, when read, made me laugh.

"I don't have enough to pay you, so I'll give you this instead. I found the water at your house extremely cold when I was there. After I left, I worked on this spell for a really long time. You should be able to use the energy stored in the stone to fuel it. I don't know how long it will last though, as I have no clue how much energy is in the stone. Stay safe. And don't let Mister hog the covers."

I went home that night and hung the necklace on my showerhead. I didn't use it. The cold shower actually felt nice for once. But the stone in a dragon's claw is still there. And the spell Wisteria had written is on the nightstand next to my Mickey Mouse alarm clock.

Maybe one day I'd want a hot shower and find out just how much energy one Demi can store in a blue stone. But until then, it would hang there, a reminder to me that not everything with the word "vampire" in it was evil.

* * *

That's that then. The end of Demi Darkness. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please feel free to R&R with suggestions for improvements for this or future stories.

And be on the lookout for a series of Bob-centric drabbles coming soon involving Bob before Harry had him and a certain...teacher at a certain...school. That's all I'm saying.

Claire C. Griffon


End file.
